I'm Done with Walmart

The Saturday before Memorial Day, we went to Walmart. After spending an hour in the store and having a cart full of $130 of merchandise, we made our way to the front of the store to find the following:

No human checkers for carts with more than 10 items.

The "10 items or less" lane was open and had seven or eight people waiting to be checked out. The only other option -- self-check-out. Are they kidding me?

We had $130 worth of stuff. It was various sizes (bag of fertilizer, etc.) that don't really scan well. We aren't trained as scanners. We don't want to be scanners. There were tons of other people wanting to check out -- where were the checkers??????

I was furious! I don't save enough money at Walmart to then have to wait in a crowded line, check out my own purchases, and, during the process, wait even longer because we don't know how to use the scanner and/or the one person monitoring the four self-check-out scanners was helping someone else with problems.

That's it -- I'm done with Walmart. We have a Target that's closer to our house anyway and their prices aren't that much different than Wally World. We also have Meijer as an option. Walmart has sunk so far down the scale on customer service that I wouldn't be surprised to see the ghost of Sam Walton come back and take out a few of their executives. It's simply hideous! And they've lost my $2,000 or so of business every year! I've had enough of them!!!!

End rant.

Comments

[Julie]

I was "trained as a checker," at Wal-Mart, even! It was the job that reminded me why I needed to stay in school. But I digress. From a loss prevention standpoint, I can't understand why any manager would think that is a good idea. The self check stands do not weigh the carts, so they have no way of knowing if FMF put all his bags of fertilizer and other sundries through the register. Those registers are much easier to "game," since they frequently have one staff member covering four or more self checkouts. Wait for the person who doesn't understand how to weigh her apples to ask for help and then get the hell out of there with a cartload of "free" stuff. I'm sure the manager thought he was saving $$$ on labor, but I'd love to see his shrinkage figures for the days he pulls those kinds of shenanigans. I think he's using the self check stands in the exact opposite manner in which they were intended.

FMF, I think you're right to talk to the manager. Maybe you can help him see the light. That's just stupid.

[Julie]

I was "trained as a checker," at Wal-Mart, even! It was the job that reminded me why I needed to stay in school. But I digress. From a loss prevention standpoint, I can't understand why any manager would think that is a good idea. The self check stands do not weigh the carts, so they have no way of knowing if FMF put all his bags of fertilizer and other sundries through the register. Those registers are much easier to "game," since they frequently have one staff member covering four or more self checkouts. Wait for the person who doesn't understand how to weigh her apples to ask for help and then get the hell out of there with a cartload of "free" stuff. I'm sure the manager thought he was saving $$$ on labor, but I'd love to see his shrinkage figures for the days he pulls those kinds of shenanigans. I think he's using the self check stands in the exact opposite manner in which they were intended.

FMF, I think you're right to talk to the manager. Maybe you can help him see the light. That's just stupid.

[James]

Walmarts vary drastically from one store to another. I won't go to the Denton Walmart because its dirty, trashy, and you have to wait in line for hours to check out, but the Hickory Creek Walmart a couple of miles away is just fine - clean, middle class, and short lines. Walmart has some major problems with lack of quality control in the service in its stores. If you find a good one it works and you save money, but if you go to a trashy one you'll seriously regret it and swear off ever going to Walmart again. I swore off it because of the Denton Walmart, but my wife found the Hickory Creek one and we shop there all the time.

[madmilker]

Wal*Mart is all about China...quote***In China, as elsewhere, we follow the Wal-Mart tradition of building our business one store and one customer at a time. We strive to provide our customers with friendly service and a wide selection of quality products at Every Day Low Prices. With each Wal-Mart store we bring advanced retail know-how to the local market. By fostering a healthy, competitive environment, we hope to constantly improve our business operations and customer service in order to contribute to the prosperity of the local economy.

Wal-Mart firmly believes in local procurement. We recognize that by purchasing quality products, we can generate more job opportunities, support local manufacturing and boost economic development. Over 95% of the merchandise in our stores in China is sourced locally. We have established partnerships with nearly 20,000 suppliers in China. At Wal-Mart, we always work with our suppliers to grow together. In August 2007, Wal-Mart once again secured the top spot of the 2007 Supplier Satisfaction Survey conducted by Business Information of Shanghai. Additionally, Wal-Mart directly exports about US$9 billion from China every year. The export volume by third party suppliers is also estimated to be over US$9 billion.***end quote!
Now! if there be 182 country's making items for the world to buy and they have only 5% of the pie in China...duh! This company makes the nice people of China support their currency(yuan) by keeping it in their country working for the people there.... but with the "yuan" going up in value and the US dollar going down...all the foreign items that the American consumer buys thinking it is cheap has went up in price. People...its all about the currency and to keep a currency strong you got to keep it floating around the country you live in so it can work for you. For the past 12 years all them US dollars are being shipped overseas to a foreign bank and with the American worker not making anything for the foreigner to buy the "we the people" have to turn to the "second" largest employer in America(Uncle Sam) to sell "we the people" debt in order to get all them dollars back! 50 years ago a foreigner would had given their left nut for a US dollar or a Hershey's chocolate bar and today the same foreigner has got Uncle Sam and the American consumer by both all the while Hershey is moving the chocolate factory to Mexico. Wakeup! America and think "MADE IN AMERICA" and put the word Washington back in D. C.....Washington had been reelected unanimously in 1792. His decision not to seek a third term established a tradition that is now embedded in the 22d Amendment of the Constitution. Read his Farewell Address of Sept. 17, 1796 and think American made for a change.

[Jonathan]

I guess it's up to the store what policies they wish to implement, but I also hate self-checkout lines because invariably I have to wait for a human to finish my transaction for one reason or another. So in the end, the store might save money but I waste more time.

[Kristin]

I had the same type of experience last sunday morning at Albertsons. And I also swore that I will never return.

No checkers, only a self checkout lane. Self checkout is great for 10 or less items, but it is ridiculous and tedious with a cartful. The computer complained that I was removing items from the bag area (only two bags will fit on its scale) which caused it to repeatedly stop to tell me that I needed to request assistance.

This was the second time that this has happened. That is enough for me. Evidently, Albertson's does not believe in staffing the checkouts until after 10 AM.

[K]

FMF: Yes, I think a basic technological competency is already doing quite well for me in the 21st century, thanks.

and, during the process, wait even longer because we don't know how to use the scanner

The retort to me of "It's not that I can't (I could if I wanted to). The point is -- I DON'T WANT TO USE IT!!! See above." was disingenuous; in the article, you complained about not being trained as scanners and then said the above words "we don't know how to use the scanner". Trying to claim you said otherwise just so you can be defensive about your ignorance.... really, never mind, forget it.

[FMF]

K --

1. I don't know how to use the scanner now in a way that's speedy (which is exactly what you want to have happen).

2. I could figure it out if I wanted to. It's not that hard.

3. The point is, I don't want to figure it out. Aren't I already paying to have someone else do it? (Yes, I am.)

What's so hard to understand?

[Kevin]

I generally avoid Wal-Mart when I can since the two stores closest to my office and my home are both really crappy. We do most of our regular shopping at Target and don't really seem to pay too much more for the better experience.

As far as the self-checkout issue goes, it seems the manager got it backwards. If it were me I would close the express (10 and under) lanes and replace those w/self checkout and open more "regular" check lanes. I myself love the self-checkout since I am pretty fast at scanning/bagging and watching prices. One of my pet peeves is getting to the car to unload my groceries and finding one or two items in each bag. Isn't the point of a bag to hold multiple items, thus making it easier to carry many things at once?

To end, here's a question I've always pondered: Why does Wal-Mart insist on building 25+ check lanes per store when only a handful of them are ever open (even on the busiest shopping days). Wouldn't that floorspace be better utilized with products to sell?

[Matt H.]

I don't like the self checkouts for the simple reason that they are not fast enough for me. As some pointed out at Wal-Mart, if you don't put the item you just scanned in the bagging area quick enough, then the machine locks up. Also, the height of the bagging area in most stores is such that I accidentally lean on it causing an error. At Home Depot I experienced the issue of items not weighing enough to register or being coded at the wrong weight.

Because the regular scanning machines are much more trusting, I find it faster to have a check ring my items.

If these stores really want to save money and make the customers happy by saving them time, they should get RFID systems in place that scan the items as you put them in the cart. That way you just have to run your credit card on the ay out the door.

[J]

A thought from the other side. It's always about the bottom dollar. The managers at the retail stores know that if they can cut paid hours by having one person run six registers thats a savings of thousands over the course of a year in thier pocket for thier bonuses. They cut the hours they can use for this purpose to stay underbudget. Which leaves the cashier dealing with you guessed it six people who have know earthly idea of what they are doing over there. I'm always amazed that people press the no barcode button because they can't see the stickers right in front of them. Then look around like its magic when its hand keyed for them. Plus you can't take the items off the scale until you pay so thank every person who removes them first for that delay. If I have anyone at all in the store I call for backup. It's just not worth all the hassle of disgruntled customers. It's not the cashiers fault so don't cuss at me like it is.

[Michael Blackburn]

About the "not trained" issue. It's not so much that there's a rigorous training program, it's simply repetition. When I have a full cart, I prefer to use the checkers, because they scan the stuff all day every day. They KNOW which way to hold it, where the bar code is, without looking. A good checker can definitely do a cartful of groceries much faster than I can!

That said, I'm just as impatient as some others here with the MORONS who take their entire cart through the self-check and peer inquisitively as a damn touch-screen with "ENGLISH" "ESPANIOL" buttons for 10 seconds. FAIL.

[eric]

From a broader economic viewpoint, the greater implementation of these machines will reduce the demand for unskilled labor. The high number of unneccessary unskilled labor produces a huge damper on economic growth. Ideally these displaced workers would be forced to acquire some sort of education higher than a GED to sustain themselves. Perhaps as technicians to maintain the self-serve checking machines?

"I haven't seen Walmart's prices go down since they've changed to this policy, so I'm assuming I'm still paying for it."
Repricing everything in the store in reaction to savings from the machines would probably cost more than it's worth in man-hours. It is possible that the machines will reduce the rate of price increase. Another thing to keep in mind, the benefit of these machines probably won't be realized until the savings they produce outweighs their initial cost and cost of maintenance. Just like installing solar panels on your roof.

Even if the UI and operational proceedures on these machines don't become more intuitive with time, the users will adapt and eventually the complaints will cease. Personally I'd like to see them equipped with a pistol-like scanner for heavier or more cumbersome goods.